Thousands Of Passengers Stranded In Asia As Singapore, China, Japan, UAE, India, Indonesia And Malaysia Delay 2,066 And Cancel 55 Flights, Disrupting AirAsia, Emirates, Japan, ANA, IndiGo, Flydubai And Other Airlines In Jakarta, Tokyo, Dubai, Mumbai And More

Published on December 28, 2025

Thousands Of Passengers grounded in Asia today As 2,066 flight delays and 55 cancellations were recorded, including Soekarno-Hatta (CGK – 412 delays, 8 cancellations), Kuala Lumpur (KUL – 399 delays, 2 cancellations), Tokyo Haneda (HND – 293 delays, 4 cancellations), Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (BOM – 272 delays, 4 cancellations), and Urumqi Diwopu (URC – 231 delays, 16 cancellations). On the airline side, AirAsia (165 delays), IndiGo (145 delays, 2 cancellations), Japan Airlines (103 delays), All Nippon Airways (101 delays), Emirates (62 delays, 1 cancellation), and Flydubai (59 delays, 2 cancellations) emerged as the most affected.
Other widely used carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, and Air India also reported notable delays despite not leading the overall disruption count. Cities bearing the heaviest passenger impact included Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Chengdu, and Sapporo, highlighting a region-wide congestion pattern rather than isolated airport incidents.
According to the latest data, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Chengdu, and Urumqi emerged as the most affected cities, underscoring widespread flight disruption across Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, India, Singapore, the UAE, and western China.

• Updated today: Asia-wide operations logged 2,066 delays and 55 cancellations, indicating heavy congestion across multiple hubs.
• Jakarta (CGK) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) together accounted for over 800 delays, making Southeast Asia the epicenter of disruption.
• Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Mumbai (BOM) experienced sustained pressure from high domestic traffic volumes.
• Sustained delay pressure was recorded by major Asian carriers including IndiGo, AirAsia, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Emirates, and Flydubai.
• Low-cost and full-service carriers alike were affected, showing system-wide operational strain.

Most Affected Asian Airports

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK)

Jakarta remained the most congested airport of the day with 412 delays and 8 cancellations, driven largely by high domestic volumes and regional connectivity pressure.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL)

Kuala Lumpur followed closely, logging 399 delays and 2 cancellations, with low-cost carrier operations accounting for a significant share of the delays.

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) (HND)

Haneda recorded 293 delays and 4 cancellations, reflecting congestion across Japan’s dense domestic network alongside international operations.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM)

Mumbai saw 272 delays and 4 cancellations, largely concentrated among domestic Indian airlines operating at near-capacity schedules.

Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC)

Urumqi reported 231 delays and 16 cancellations, making it the single largest contributor to cancellations across all tracked airports.

Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)

Singapore logged 160 delays and 3 cancellations, with disruption spread across both regional and long-haul services.

Airlines Most Affected by Asia Flight Cancellations and Delays

AirAsia

AirAsia topped delay counts with 165 delayed flights, mainly tied to Kuala Lumpur operations.

IndiGo

IndiGo recorded 145 delays and 2 cancellations, accounting for the largest share of disruption in India.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines reported 103 delays, reflecting widespread congestion across Japanese domestic routes.

All Nippon Airways

ANA closely followed with 101 delays, highlighting parallel operational pressure at Japanese hubs.

Emirates

Emirates logged 62 delays and 1 cancellation, mainly linked to Dubai’s heavy international traffic flows.

Flydubai

Flydubai faced 59 delays and 2 cancellations, making it one of the most affected Middle East carriers operating into Asia.

How travellers were impacted at major airports

• Longer-than-usual waiting times at departure gates and immigration checkpoints
• Missed onward connections, especially at multi-hub airports such as Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai
• Increased likelihood of schedule changes for same-day domestic flights
• Higher crowd density in terminal areas during peak operating hours
• Greater reliance on rebooking and standby options for short-haul travel

Learn More

Overview of Asia Flight Cancellations

Across Asia, flight cancellations remained comparatively limited but were concentrated among a few airports and airlines. Urumqi (URC), Jakarta (CGK), Tokyo Haneda (HND), Mumbai (BOM), and Singapore Changi (SIN) together accounted for the majority of cancellations. On the airline side, AirAsia, IndiGo, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Emirates, Flydubai, and Malaysia Airlines appeared most frequently in disruption reports. Repeated congestion at Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Mumbai underscored the ongoing pressure on Asia’s busiest aviation corridors, with delays continuing to far outweigh outright cancellations.

Image Source: AI

Source: Different airports and FlightAware